The Lady and the Wolf
by WhosThatChic
Summary: She clutched the parchment in her fist and wondered if this was to be her punishment for loving a man who was never meant to be hers. A story about forbidden love and the unforgiving pain that goes along with it. See profile page for link to trailer for this story on my you tube channel. Ashara Dayne/Brandon Stark


**Chapter 1 (Prologue)**

"Rhaegar had chosen Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. Barristan Selmy would have made a different choice. Not the queen, who was not present. Nor Elia of Dorne, though she was good and gentle; had she been chosen, much war and woe might have been avoided. His choice would have been a young maiden not long at court, one of Elia's companions … though compared to Ashara Dayne, the Dornish princess was a kitchen drab.

Even after all these years, Ser Barristan could still recall Ashara's smile, the sound of her laughter. He had only to close his eyes to see her, with her long dark hair tumbling about her shoulders and those haunting purple eyes. Daenerys has the same eyes. Sometimes when the queen looked at him, he felt as if he were looking at Ashara's daughter ...

But Ashara's daughter had been stillborn, and his fair lady had thrown herself from a tower soon after, mad with grief for the child she had lost, and perhaps for the man who had dishonored her at Harrenhal as well. She died never knowing that Ser Barristan had loved her. How could she? He was a knight of the Kingsguard, sworn to celibacy. No good could have come from telling her his feelings. No good came from silence either. If I had unhorsed Rhaegar and crowned Ashara queen of love and beauty, might she have looked to me instead of Stark?

He would never know. But of all his failures, none haunted him so much as that.

 _ **Barriston Selmy - A song of Ice and Fire**_

* * *

Ashara had over reached and she'd fallen far and fast as a result. All her plans failed, the child inside her the only thing left that was keeping her going.

 _Brandon's child._

The man who wouldn't stay a second from her thoughts, the man who gave life to the child that was growing inside of her. Her shoulders ached and chest grew tighter. She couldn't close her eyes without seeing him, or look around without colliding with his memory. He was gone, and now Arthur too. She didn't even get to say goodbye. Her hand tightened around the parchment.

Lord Eddard Stark - _the man who killed her beloved brother-_ is bringing Dawn, Arthur's great-sword back to her.

A bitter laugh escapes her dry lips.

She'd rather have his bones, but of-course no one asked what _she_ wanted. Why would they? She's just a woman - _a fallen one at that._ Allyria could hardly look at her, and when she did it was with disappointment or pity. She's unsure which is worse. _But does it even matter anymore?_ Her reputation seems small in comparison to what happened to Brandon and his father. She wondered if the Gods had taken the two men she loved most from her as penance.

Or perhaps _punishment_ is the more accurate term.

Punishment for trying to steal away a man already betrothed to another, and for laying with him before marriage. Punishment for toying with countless men's affections and using them to satisfy her own selfish vanity.

 _They say old King Scab laughed as her lover strangled himself on the cord as his father cooked in his own armor before him._

Phantom hands curled around her neck and she closed her eyes; eyes that burned from too many tears. If only she could have seen what would happen, what would become of them. Instead she was blinded by his charm, sweet dimples and boy-like energy.

Brandon Stark was the type who exceeded at anything he tried. He was a fierce swordsman and jouster, his moves quick and powerful. He was tall and handsome, with a fiery passion in his grey eyes that she'd never seen before.

Brandon took what he wanted, unlike his shy, more reserved younger brother Eddard. Ashara admired him for it. His wolf's blood grew hot and awoke a need from deep within her that she never even knew was even there.

A chill runs down her spine as she remembers that first time... his breath against her neck, his body pressed so close to hers, hidden away underneath the stairs just feet away from the Hall of the Hundred Hearths where everyone was still enjoying the great feast after the tourney that day. She can still feel his hands as they gripped her closer to him. The sounds of damp slaps and choked groans as he had his way with her, bringing her to a high she never knew was even possible.

After that first time she was addicted, and she knew it would never be enough. Her body ached with need when he they parted, leaving her in a constant state of arousal. Her thighs would clench as wetness pooled from just hearing his laughter from across the room. She'd go to bed unable to sleep, far too wound up from the mere memory of his touch.

She tries not to think about his promise to marry that Tully girl and how it tore her heart out when he confirmed the rumors. He said his father arranged it, and that he wanted no part of it. He swore he'd find a way to get out of it so they could marry. He even told her that he didn't mind giving up Winterfell to his younger brother as long as he had her in his arms for all time.

She wanted to believe him so badly... _and she did_... for a while. At-least until she heard from Arthur that her love _-her wild wolf-_ was on his way to join his father's wedding party so that he could take the Tully girl as his bride.

That news nearly broke her.

Eddard - _blind to the truth of her feelings_ \- had written to her from the Vale, asking permission to call on her after the wedding.

It was obvious Ned _-naive as always-_ had no idea about the secret relationship between the two. The news left her with an unwanted surge of hate as she screamed and cried to the Gods to curse Brandon Stark and his little Tully bride to the deepest pits of hell. Her anger helped get her through those first few days, and she hung on to it for weeks afterwards, like a life line keeping her afloat.

Then another raven arrived that changed _everything_.

Lyanna Stark, the she-wolf had run off with Rhaegar Targaryen. They called it kidnap but she knew better than that. She served as one of Elia's ladies in waiting and she knew the young Prince's heart. She knew him well enough to know he'd never harm any woman, nor would he ever force himself upon one. _He was not his father the Mad King._

Brandon's raven said he was on his way to Kingslanding for his sister and he promised that afterwards he'd come for her too.

She didn't know then that his actions would blow through their lives destroying everything in its wake, creating chaos and devastation all around them. The old her would have waited it out, weathered it until the dust settled, rebuilding from the rubble and ashes.

Unfortunately she was no longer that girl. The one who was careless and free, happy and hopeful. That girl only wanted love. _Real l_ ove.

That girl was gone the moment she crawled into bed with a beautiful, charming, untamed man who was destined to leave her.

Now all that remained was the empty shell of a woman who lost everything, who now only wished for nothing more than freedom from the terrible pain and all consuming heartbreak. If the Gods were just they'd allow her to leave this world so that she may once more be with the ones that she loved. Seeing Brandon's smiling face would be the balm that her soul so desperately needed.

The thought of his warm embrace had her heart filling with hope and she knew then what she had to do.

* * *

 **AN:** This chapter was really more of a prologue and future chapters will be much longer. I have a trailer I've made for this story with Brandon and Ashara called The Lady and the Wolf. You can find the link on my profile page where you can also find the link to my youtube channel with all of my videos and my website. I wanted to warn everyone in advance that I tend to write my characters with a lot of flaws. This also may end up being a little ooc (out of character and AU-alternate universe) so please don't post reviews telling me I have my facts wrong. I pretty much write what I want and since I do not have a beta all mistakes are mine.


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